The Dominance
by Inkfire
Summary: Araminta Meliflua fights a losing battle. A drabble for the Politics challenge on The Dark Lord's Most Faithful forum.


**Here is a response to my own challenge on The Dark Lord's Most Faithful Forum: Politics. **

**A bit of context: Araminta Meliflua is evoked in canon as Walburga Black's cousin, so I decided that she'd be a Crabbe, related to Walburga through the latter's mother Irma Black née Crabbe. Araminta is unmarried and involved in the Wizengamot at the time, and she has a project she'd like to get voted… ;)**

**By the way, she is not to be found in the HP list of characters. Poor misunderstood thing. **

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_**Politics **_

_**The challenge theme for the next two weeks is to be: Politics! I thus want you to write a 100-word, 500-word or 1000-word fic featuring a character being involved in politics, judging them, discussing them – anything you'd like, as long as politics is an important theme in your story. I am mostly thinking of wizarding politics and the Ministry of Magic, but if you want to mention Muggle or foreign politics instead, that's fine as well. Good luck and I can't wait to see what you guys will come up with =)**_

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"You will never pass this bill, Araminta. The attempt might be honourable, it does not make it any less rash. Be reasonable and withdraw, in the present climate it would do no good to stigmatize pureblood families as mindless Muggle slaughterers."

Araminta Meliflua took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and doing her best to draw her plump frame up. She glared fiercely into Orion Black's eyes, frustrated when he only responded with a smooth smile. Abraxas Malfoy, beside him, was looking cool and impassive, and a couple of men stood in the background, talking in low voices – their eyes on her. Their gazes were light, judging, mocking and indignation swelled within her chest, terribly quickening her heartbeat and setting her cheeks aflame with a flushed, angry heat. She fought to keep a soft and suitably low voice as her lips parted at last.

"I see, then, that I shall find no support in the whole lot of you," she uttered a bit too quickly, unable to control the very slight tremor that laced her words. Orion smiled again, his eyes gentle, for she was family after all and not to be treated without respect. The insult was to remain lurking low, and still she felt it keenly. "You know, though, that your wife approves of my project!" she blurted, instantly remembering she had vowed to herself not to speak these very words, over and over again. For she had no need for her connection to Orion Black to assemble a sufficient majority – she was herself, and had her project – she was independent. She needed no one.

"I know," Orion agreed, "as you know that I do, we all do. This, Araminta, is not a matter of conviction. We all stand here aware of the validity of your claim, yet also aware that it is neither the time, nor the place. We must stand united. We must appear reasonable and pacific, and we must remain true to the values of our blood, without overstepping our current sway by being too precipitate."

"Indeed," Abraxas spoke coolly, "we must remain level-headed always. How else should we demonstrate, in everything we do, our complete superiority? Be reasonable. Your cousin is, at the moment, adjourning her beliefs for the sake of propriety, as she cares for her newborn son. Perhaps you should pay more attention to what exactly she would and would not approve of."

Araminta stifled a small gasp as the humiliation hit and Orion rapidly stepped in again: "But this is not the question now at hand. Withdraw, cousin mine. Let the world not remember Araminta Crabbe as the instigator of a failed bill to promote Muggle-hunting."

She bit her lip, hard, drawing pure blood that tasted like copper on her tongue. "Do not worry, Orion," she whispered, "they will remember Araminta Meliflua."

She turned slowly on her heel, evading the gazes – _where is your husband, Araminta? Are you __really so stupid?_ – and walked back towards the courtroom, to meet her fate.


End file.
